"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks to reporters at the Special European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 6, 2025. (Olena Zashko / The Kyiv Independent)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day Victory Day truce is insufficient, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview with Corriere della Sera published on April 29, stressing the need for a "just and lasting peace."
Putin claimed Russian forces would cease all hostilities from May 8 until midnight on May 11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine retorted by calling for a full and unconditional ceasefire, a proposal that Moscow continues to reject.
In the interview, Meloni voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia and lauded President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness for an unconditional truce.
"Now, it is Russia that must demonstrate the same. Because the three-day truce announced by Putin for the anniversary of the victory in World War II is something different, and definitely not enough," Meloni said.
The Italian leader said the peace must be lasting and backed by strong security guarantees. Meloni repeated her proposal to provide Ukraine with guarantees based on NATO's Article 5, even if there was no consensus on Kyiv's formal entry.
"Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade," Zelensky previously said.
"We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," he added. Ukraine has accused Russia of violating multiple ceasefire agreements in the past.
The White House has also reacted by calling for a lasting truce, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying, "(President Trump) has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed... Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out."
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts, threatening to pull out unless progress is made.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Timothy Ash
